From correspondents in West Bengal, India, 03:33 PM IST

A MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force caught fire while landing at West Bengal's Bagdogra airport Friday but the pilot managed to get out unharmed, officials here said.

'There was a technical snag in the aircraft and one of the wheels got jammed. So the pilot belly landed. While landing at such a high speed, the aircraft caught fire,' said air force spokesperson R.K. Das.

The Bagdogra airport is a military airport open for civilian flights as well. It is located 16 km from Siliguri town in West Bengal's Darjeeling district.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)